1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin slope for guiding an ejected coin to a coin receiver.
2. Description of the Related Art
A coin slope includes a sloping surface which makes an ejected coin slide down to a coin receiver by its own weight. A conventional coin slope is used as a part of various machines. In Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-132729 and Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-339525, a coin slope provided to a vending machine is described. A sloping surface of this coin slope receives a coin ejected from one side of this sloping surface and guides this coin to a coin receiver.
When ribs are provided to a sloping surface of a coin slope in order to reduce a contact resistance against a coin, a problem described below occurs.
FIG. 14 is a side view in vertical section showing a coin slope 1. FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view showing a part of the coin slope 1. The coin slope 1 includes a sloping surface 2. To the sloping surface 2, longwise ribs 3 are provided in order to reduce a contact resistance against a coin C. Usually, the coin C slides down by its own weight to a coin receiver 4 with one side of the coin C on a top surface of the longwise rib 3, as shown in FIG. 15.
However, the coin C which freely falls from directly above the coin slope 1 drops in a gap between the longwise ribs 3 without lying on the longwise rib 3 and rolls down, as shown in FIG. 14. Then, the coin C rushes to the coin receiver 4 and jumps out of the coin receiver 4, as shown in FIG. 14.
For solving the problem described above, a bumping wall 5 may be provided right in front of coin receiver 4. The rolling coin C bumps against the bumping wall 5.
FIG. 16 is a side view in vertical section showing the coin slope 1 to which the bumping wall 5 is provided. The bumping wall 5 weakens a force of the coin C and makes the coin C fall down to the coin receiver 4. But, when the bumping wall 5 is provided, the coin receiver 4 must be provided to a lower position in order to make the coin C which bumps the bumping wall 5 fall down. The position of the coin receiver 4 in FIG. 14 is shown by two-dot chain line in FIG. 16. As the coin receiver 4 is provided to a lower position, an operability of taking the coin C received the coin receiver 4 becomes worse. Therefore, providing the bumping wall 5 in front of the coin receiver 4 should be avoided.